Azure
by nxiro
Summary: A meeting arranged by fate 10 years ago and a single photograph brings the photographer and idol together. / HibiMomo, AU.
1. Cerulean

**I was inspired to write this by a fanart I saw on Pixiv a few years ago. I've wanted to write this for a long time, but I never had the chance to. But now that I have, I thought I would share this with you guys. Enjoy!**

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My first visit to the city changed my life forever.

I was born in the countryside and I lived there for most of my life, so I've never had a chance to visit the city. The city was a place that everyone wished to go to, so I wasn't alone. However, I was one of the rare people who was lucky enough to actually visit the city.

I honestly couldn't believe it when I won the train tickets to the city. I kind of just stood there, caught in a daze, as I stared at the golden ball that I managed to roll out. Miraculously, they were weekend tickets, so my parents gave me permission. I was only 12, but since I was more mature than the normal 12-year-old, my parents weren't that worried. Before I left, my dad gave me a camera.

"Take some photos of what you see. You might find something unexpected." he said. I stared at the camera in my hands. It was one of my dad's prized possessions, and one of the "luxurious" things our family owned. I never had a great interest for photography, but I kindly accepted it.

The city did not disappoint me. I saw a ton of things I had never seen before, such as buildings that reached the skies and the metro trains that could get you anywhere. The city was busy, with people walking around, constantly glancing at their watches.

I decided to go to a less busy part of the city, and that's when I found a garden. It was slightly mysterious, and it didn't seem to have a lot of visitors. I walked into it cautiously, looking around. There were many colorful flowers, blooming vibrantly, and I couldn't help but stop and take a few pictures. They didn't turn out really good, but not really bad either. I walked deeper into the garden, holding my camera up in front of me, ready to capture any beautiful moment.

I reached a fountain in the middle of the garden, and there were bushes with beautiful white roses around it. My eyes widened.

There was a girl beside the fountain. She looked around 15 or 16, but I wasn't sure. Part of her shoulder-length orange hair was tied at the side of her head with a blue hair tie. She wore a white shirt and a long orange dress, and pointe shoes. She had her back to me, and she was dancing.

I couldn't help but stare in awe. She was so beautiful. There was a kind of aura that surrounded her, and I put my eye to my camera. I couldn't help but take a picture of her. The girl must have heard the sound of my camera, because she stopped dancing. She seemed to stiffen, and without turning back, she ran off.

"W-Wait!" I said, and I ran after her. I soon lost sight of her, and I sighed. I looked at the picture I took, and my eyes widened in surprise.

The picture was so beautiful.

It was at that moment that my future was decided:

I wanted to become a photographer.

When I went back to the countryside, I told my parents my dream. They were a little surprised, but they were supportive. I was able to go to school in the city after a few years later, and I studied photography. I wished to take more photos like that one, and someday find that girl once again.

I wanted to thank her for giving me my dream.

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10 years had passed since I decided to become a photographer. I had grown from a small boy of 12 to a young man of 22. I carried my camera everywhere I went, and I would take pictures of things I saw. I uploaded them onto the internet, too, to let the world see my photographs.

In the distance, I saw a black cat in the middle of the street. I walked up to it, and it didn't budge at all. I smiled. I put my eye to the camera, just like I've done so a million times before, and I took a few pictures. The cat stared at me with its red eyes. I found myself staring back into its eyes.

Suddenly, I heard the honk of a horn and I looked up. My eyes widened. There was a truck speeding towards me, and everything seemed like it was put on slow motion. My legs seemed to be frozen, and I couldn't move. _Shit,_ I thought. _Shit, shit shit..._

A hand grabbed the back of my shirt and pulled me back fiercely. I thought I saw my life flash before my eyes, and the truck rushed past me. I thought I felt it brush against my leg for a second, and I just sat there, my eyes wide with shock.

"Are you crazy?! Why would you stand in the middle of the road and not pay attention to what's going on around you? You could have died if I wasn't there!" shouted an angry female voice. I stood up and looked at my savior. She had long black hair tied into two low ponytails, and dark brown eyes. She was a young woman around my age, and she was rather pretty.

"I-I'm sorry..." I said. "T-Thank you very much..." The girl sighed.

"What were you doing there?" she asked.

"I was taking a picture of the cat..." I said. I looked through my camera and showed her the pictures I had taken. She looked through them and her eyes widened.

"...You're pretty good." she said finally. I looked at her.

"R-Really? Thank you very much!" I said.

"We're actually looking for a photographer, if you're interested." she said. She handed me a name card and I looked at it. Hiyori Asahina, idol manager.

"Momo-chan needs a photographer for her new CD jacket, but the photographer we've always had broke his arms while riding down a huge slope on his bike." said Hiyori.

"Momo-chan?" I echoed. Hiyori furrowed her eyebrows.

"Super idol Momo Kisaragi. You haven't heard of her before?" she asked. I shook my head.

"I don't really pay attention to these things... I spent my life chasing after my dream of becoming a photographer..." I said. Hiyori sighed.

"And when I thought the whole world was crazy over her. I guess I need to work harder then." she said. "Anyways, are you in?" I thought about it. I could always use another chance to take photos. It was my dream, anyways.

"Yeah, I'm in." I said. Hiyori smiled, and I felt my heart skip a beat.

"Great! Then follow me!" she said.

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Our destination wasn't far, and I stared at it in awe once we arrived. It was a huge building that looked like it was extremely busy. Hiyori led me into the building and into the elevator. She scanned her ID card and pressed level 5.

"Sorry if this is all of a sudden, but we really do need someone." said Hiyori. I shook my head, despite Hiyori wasn't looking towards me.

"It's fine. You saved my life, after all." I said. Hiyori sighed.

"Well, be careful next time." she said, and we arrived. We walked along rows of doors and we stopped at one of them. Hiyori opened the door and we entered the room.

"Momo-chan, I'm back!" said Hiyori, and the girl sitting on chair turned around. She had long orange hair, and two parts of her hair at the side of her head were pinned back with a white bow-shaped clip. She had black eyes, and she wore a light orange dress with a big white bow at the back and black high heels.

"Ah, Hiyori-chan! Welcome back!" she said, smiling. She tilted her head and looked at me, blinking in confusion. "Who's this?"

"Thanks to me, we've found you a photographer! This is... Uh, what's your name?" asked Hiyori.

"I'm Hibiya Amamiya. Nice to meet you." I said, bowing.

"Nice to meet you! I'm Momo Kisaragi, 26, and I'm an idol! I hope we get along!" she said, bowing.

"Now! Let's get to work." said Hiyori, clapping her hands together. She took a seat beside Momo, and I sat down opposite them.

"Momo-chan's album needs three different jacket covers, so we need three different outfits and places to shoot at. We still don't have any idea yet for what we want to do, so we're going to need some help from you, Amamiya-kun." said Hiyori.

"You can just call me Hibiya." I said. "Um, can I ask why we need three covers?"

"There's First Press Limited Edition A, which is CD+Blu-Ray, First Press Limited Edition B, which is CD+DVD, and there's the Normal Edition." Hiyori replied.

"...I see." I said. I never thought CDs were that confusing. How could people keep track of which version is which and the difference?!

"So, any ideas? We're open to anything right now." asked Hiyori. I thought for a while.

"Do you have a color of preference?" I asked. "Something that... I don't know, symbolizes you?"

"My artist color is orange, so I guess that'll be it." said Momo. I nodded slowly.

"We could have the Normal Edition's outfit be orange, and have the Limited Editions' outfits be black and white. Since the Limited Editions are kind of like "mirroring" each other, I thought we could have outfits with opposite colors..." I said. Hiyori and Momo looked at each other.

"That's cool! That's so cool, Hibiya-kun! We haven't done that before! We could definitely use that!" said Momo excitedly, grabbing my hand. "Right, Hiyori-chan?"

"That's true." said Hiyori, thinking. "I can see it."

"You're amazing, Hibiya-kun!" said Momo, smiling. My face flushed red and I looked away.

"If you so say..." I said.

"Let me call the tailor." said Hiyori, leaving the room while dialing a number. And now, I was all alone with super idol Momo Kisaragi. To be honest, I didn't recognize her name because I never paid any attention to idols and stuff, but seeing her face made me recall all the commercials and TV shows and billboards I saw all the time. I could see that she was world-famous.

"Thanks for helping out, Hibiya-kun." said Momo, smiling. "To be honest, we were really struggling and in a pinch when we found out our photographer was gone." I laughed.

"I would have been crushed by a truck less than an hour ago if Hiyori-san didn't save me. It's the least I could do." I said. Momo looked slightly disappointed for a second, but that was covered up immediately by a kind smile. Just as I was about to say something, Hiyori stormed back into the room.

"I can't believe it!" she fumed, sitting down. "That little... Person! I can't believe it! I'm going to... Urgh!"

"Hiyori-chan?! C-Calm down!" said Momo.

"I can't calm down! The tailor f-ed up as well! He's in the hospital right now and he can't do costumes!" said Hiyori. Momo's eyes widened.

"Seriously?!" she said. "What are we going to do?" I stared at the two panicking girls and sighed.

"Um... I think I can do that as well." I said.

"You can design and make clothes?!" asked Hiyori. I nodded.

"I thought of the idea, so I do have something in mind..." I said.

"Will you do it?" asked Hiyori. I nodded.

"You really are a lifesaver, Hibiya-kun!" said Momo.

"Thank you so much!" said Hiyori. "I need to be somewhere else, so I must leave now. I'll see you both later!" Hiyori grabbed her jacket and rushed out of the room.

"...I guess it's just you and me now." said Momo. I nodded.

"I guess so." I said. Momo walked over to one of the drawers. She brought out a sketchbook and a few pencils and handed it to me.

"You need this to design the outfits, right?" she said. I nodded.

"Thanks." I said. I flipped to the next blank page and started drawing.

"Hiyori-san was freaking out really bad, wasn't she? Even though it wasn't her own album or anything like that." I said. Momo laughed.

"Hiyori-chan's just like that." she said. "She's really passionate about her work, and she really cares a lot about me, haha..."

"I see." I said.

"Apparently she became a fan of mine a long time ago, and when she saw the position for my manager was open, she applied for it." said Momo. "I'm really happy that she's here for me, although it may be a little weird sometimes for someone that's four years younger than me to do the hard work for me."

"So she's the same age as me..." I murmured.

"Why did you decide to become a photographer, Hibiya-kun?" asked Momo all of a sudden. I looked up at her. "I don't know what made me became an idol exactly, so I want to hear about how you found your dream."

"...I grew up in the countryside, and I was inspired to become a photographer during a rare visit to the city." I said. "I took a picture of a girl, and it was that picture that made me find my dream."

"That's so magical!" said Momo, smiling. "It almost seems like fate." I couldn't help but smile.

"Maybe." I said.

"Have you stayed in contact with her at all?" asked Momo. I shook my head.

"No." I said. "I only saw her back. I didn't see her face at all, so I don't know who she is. But I'm still hoping to meet her once again. And when I do, I'll thank her for giving me my dream." Momo smiled.

"I'm sure you'll meet her." she said. "I'm sure of it." I nodded.

"Here you go." I said, and I showed her my sketches. The Limited Edition A outfit consisted of a black jacket outside of a grey dress with an orange ribbon in the chest, a small black hat, grey gloves, and black high heels. The Limited Edition B outfit consisted of a simple white satin dress with a big white bow at the back and white heels. The Normal Edition outfit was the most complicated one. It consisted of a puffy orange dress, an extra collar piece with white frills, an extra piece at the waist, a red choker connected with a big red bow that hang before the chest, a pair of light brown boots, and a huge satin light orange bow at the back.

"...This is so amazing." said Momo. "You're really talented, Hibiya-kun! You're a photographer, and yet you can do the job of a tailor! That's so cool!"

"...It's nothing." I said.

"I'm really glad I met you, Hibiya-kun!" she said, smiling. I blushed and looked away.

"You're annoying, Oba-san..."

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 **I don't know when the next chapter is going to come since I have school, but I promise it will come sometime soon. I hope you've enjoyed this, and please read, review, favorite, follow etc! See you soon!**

 **~Chinnie Ai**


	2. Lapis Lazuli

**I've been a little busy with school, so my updates aren't that constant. My apologies. But here's a new chapter! Just like Fairy Tales, this will be a three-chapter story, so the next update will be the last. :)**

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I managed to barely finish making Momo's three costumes in two days, which was when her photo shoot was. Hiyori booked one of the studios and made sure everything was ready. Props and lights were provided, so I didn't have to worry about that. I stayed up very late to finish Momo's costumes, which resulted in dark bags under my eyes.

Honestly, I didn't know why I worked so hard for a girl I just met. Even though she was an idol, I didn't know about her before so that wasn't a good reason. Was it because her manager, Hiyori, saved my life? ...That wasn't it. So why?

I sighed and shook away those thoughts. It was time to work. I arrived at the studio and yawned. I should have gotten more coffee.

"Good morning, Hibiya-kun!" said Momo, turning around and walking towards me. "…What happened?" I must have looked terrible.

"I stayed up too late. Here, your costumes." I said, handing them over. She took them and stared at them.

"…You made these in two days?" she asked, surprised. I nodded, yawning again. "You should get some rest…" I shook my head.

"I'm fine. Don't worry, it won't affect the photo shoot." I said.

"That's not what I meant…" she said, sighing. I shrugged.

"I've had worse deadlines, so I'm fine. I promise." I said.

"If you say so…" said Momo. "I'm going to get ready then. We're shooting the black outfit first!" I nodded. I studied the sketch I drew yesterday and nodded to myself, reviewing what I had thought of and the camera angles.

"Ah, you came!" said a voice. I looked up and saw Hiyori, who was holding a clipboard. She frowned at me when she saw my face.

"Wow, you look horrible." she commented. I laughed dryly.

"Yeah, I know." I said.

"Well, don't overwork yourself. We're already really thankful you decided to accept this job. Overworking would be the last thing we want you to do." said Hiyori. I nodded.

"Got it, Ma'am." I said, smiling. Hiyori brought the clipboard down on my head lightly.

"That makes me sound old." she said, laughing. "Well, Momo-chan should be ready soon, so get ready for how beautiful she is!" I nodded. Hiyori really was a nice person. I think we'll get along very well.

"Sorry for the long wait!" said a cheerful voice. I looked up and my eyes widened. Momo was wearing the dress I designed, and… She was more beautiful than I thought she would be. I slapped my cheeks. What are you thinking, Hibiya Amamiya? Get to work!

"O-Oh, okay…" I said. "Then let's start." From my understanding, there would be a little booklet that came with the CDs with various pictures of Momo in the same outfit.

The photo shoot would be around four hours, with breaks for me in between when Momo changed into the next outfit. I was impressed by how well it went. I've had to work with some really difficult people before, and Momo was definitely not one of them. The photos came out amazing as well. They were much better than I expected they'd be, and it almost felt as if I had found my love for photography all over again.

During the first break, Hiyori handed me a can of lemonade from the vending machine and sat down next to me.

"How's the photo shoot so far?" she asked.

"It's good." I replied. "The photos came out great. I'm sure the albums will be a great success." Hiyori blinked, looking a bit confused, then laughed.

"That's not what I meant! Of course, I care about that too, but what I meant was more about you. How are you feeling?" she asked.

"Oh," I said. "Sorry. I'm great. Photo shoots have never gone so well for me in my entire career." Hiyori let out a breath.

"I'm glad." she said. "I was a bit worried we made you do too much. I mean, you made the costumes and you're also taking the job of a photographer… We can't thank you enough." I laughed.

"I decided to take these jobs myself, and I'm glad I did." I said. I took a sip of the lemonade. "It's refreshing."

"What, the lemonade or the job?" asked Hiyori, laughing. I smiled.

"Both." I said. "Why did you decide to become an idol manager, Hiyori-san?" Hiyori looked a bit surprised at my sudden question, but she smiled.

"Just call me Hiyori. We're the same age, aren't we?" she asked. I nodded. "Anyways, to answer your question… Well, I've always been a fan of idols, you know. Also, Momo-chan debuted when she was 16, and the moment I saw her on TV, I was stunned by her aura. I became a fan of hers from that moment onwards, and I worked hard to try to meet her. And now I'm here."

"I see…" I said. Hiyori also had a story of how she reached her dream, just like me. I couldn't help but smile.

"Asahina-san, Amamiya-kun, it's time to get back now!" said one of the workers. We both stood up.

"Okay!" Hiyori called back. She sighed. "Back to work!" she said to me. I nodded.

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Soon, it was time for the second break. However, before anyone could leave, there was a knock at the door. Hiyori went to open it, and a man stood in the doorway.

"Hey, Kisaragi-chan!" he said. He had blond hair and cat-like eyes, and he was waving at Momo, whose face lit up the moment he entered the room.

"Ah, Shuuya!" she said, running over to him. "What are you doing here?" He grinned.

"Just visiting our favorite idol!" he said.

"What about work?" asked Momo.

"I'm free today, so I thought I'd come by." he said. He looked around and his gaze fell on me. "Oh? Who's this? I haven't seen him before." Momo followed his gaze and she smiled.

"This is Hibiya Amamiya! He's our photographer this time! He's truly our lifesaver! Without him, my album would be in a pinch! Oh, and look! He designed these outfits, too!" she said excitedly. The man looked surprised.

"Wow…" he said, looking at the dress and then at me. "You're talented."

"Thank you very much." I said, bowing. He laughed.

"You're welcome! I'm Shuuya Kano, 26, and I'm an actor!" he said. So he was an actor… I didn't know.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Hibiya Amamiya." I said. Kano nodded.

"Yeah, nice to meet you!" he said. "I'm not taking up your break, am I? Sorry, my bad. I need to speak to Kisaragi-chan, though." he said. Seeing that they needed to be alone, all the other staff gave them some room. I didn't know why, but I suddenly felt hate towards Shuuya Kano. How can he just suddenly butt in? Is he that close to Momo? …Are they in a relationship?

I shook my head and simply exited the room, ignoring their happy voices.

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My bad mood continued throughout the photo shoot. Kano did not leave; instead, he stayed and watched. I knew I was getting frustrated, but I forced myself to push away those thoughts and continue with my work. I couldn't let my personal feelings get in the way of work.

Finally, the photo shoot came to an end. I stretched and looked through the photos. They were of great quality, and I was happy with them. I would have to go through them and choose the best ones when I got home. When I was about to leave, I heard Momo's voice from behind me.

"Ah, Hibiya-kun, wait!" she said. I turned around. "Thank you so much for today! Really, my whole career would have gone downhill if it weren't for you! You made me so happy today!" she said, laughing.

"I'm sure your boyfriend made you happier." I said. As soon as the words left my mouth, I mentally slapped myself. What did I just say?! Why did I say that?! How did those words even escape my mouth?! I wasn't supposed to be so cold. Momo did nothing wrong. Why'd you fuck up, brain?!

"Boyfriend…?" Momo asked, confused. At this moment, Kano walked over to us.

"What's up?" he asked. I pointed at him.

"This guy. Isn't he your boyfriend?" I asked. Momo and Kano both blinked, and looked at each other. As soon as my words sank in, they burst into laughter.

"Oh my god, I can't!… Amamiya-kun, you…! I swear… Pft, hahaha…!" Kano said while trying to stop himself from laughing.

"What's so funny?" I asked. Momo laughed.

"Hibiya-kun, Shuuya's not my boyfriend." she said. I blinked.

"…What?" I managed to say.

"Like I said, he's not my boyfriend!" she said. "Why did you think so?"

"Well… You guys seemed really close… And you had to talk privately… And…" I trailed off. It was Kano who spoke up this time.

"Amamiya-kun, I am not in a relationship with Kisaragi-chan!" he said. "So you can drop your guard and relax now. I'm not your enemy!"

"W-What's that supposed to mean?" I said, stuttering. He shrugged.

"Nothing~!" he said, smiling.

"Shuuya, what if I tell Tsubomi?" asked Momo. The smile from Kano's face fell immediately.

"Please do not do that." he said, all emotion gone from his voice now. Momo laughed, and I couldn't help but smile as well.

"Tsubomi is Shuuya's girlfriend." Momo explained. "I don't have a boyfriend. We were talking during the second break about my hopeless brother and his kind sister's wedding plans." I sighed.

"I feel stupid now." I said, putting my face in to my palms. Momo laughed.

"It's fine, it's fine!" she said. Kano's face suddenly lit up.

"Oh, I know!" he said. "Let's invite him to our party tomorrow!" Momo's smile widened.

"Yeah! Why didn't I think of that?" she said. "Hibiya-kun, we're having a small gathering tomorrow night. Both Shuuya and I will be there, along with my brother, his sister, and some other friends! It'd be great if you could come too!"

"I don't know anyone though. Won't I be intruding?" I asked.

"No worries!" said Kano. "We welcome you!" I thought about it. I didn't have much planned tomorrow, so it should be fine.

"…I guess I'll go then." I said. Momo smiled.

"Great! Then I'll see you tomorrow!" said Momo. I nodded and I left.

So Shuuya Kano wasn't Momo's boyfriend… Then again, idols aren't allowed to have boyfriends, I think. Is that so… Why did I even care so much? It's not like Momo's not allowed to like anyone or anything…

It's not like… I like her or anything…

"Ah, Amamiya-kun! Wait!" I turned around at the sound of Kano's voice. He had caught up to me, and Momo wasn't with him.

"What is it, Kano-san?" I asked.

"I'm sorry you had that misunderstanding. I could tell you weren't in a good mood after I arrived." he said, laughing.

"It's alright." I said.

"Oh, and also! I heard about how you decided to become a photographer from Kisaragi-chan! That's really cool! It's like fate!" he said.

"Yeah, I think so too, sometimes." I admitted.

"Have you met the girl after all these years? She could still be in this city, you know." he said. I sighed.

"I know, but there are way too many people here. It'd be a miracle to meet her again." I said. Kano thought for a while.

"Can I look at the photo?" he asked. "Although not as good as Kisaragi-chan's brother, I do have excellent memory. I've seen a lot of people in this city, and I'm sure I know at least 70% of them." I turned my camera back on and found the picture.

"I couldn't get her face on camera or anything, so…" I said, handing the camera to Kano. He took it carefully and looked at the picture. His eyes widened.

"…What? Do you know who it is?" I asked nervously. Was I about to find out who the girl that gave me my dreams was?

"…Yeah." he said. My heart was beating faster and faster by the second.

"Who is it?" I asked.

"I can't tell you." he replied simply. My heart almost stopped beating in that moment.

"Excuse me?!" I yelled. So much for thinking Shuuya Kano was a good person.

"Well, it's not that I don't want to tell you. It's just that… I think it's more beneficial to you if you find out for yourself." he said. I raised an eyebrow.

"What do you mean?" I asked. He sighed.

"What I mean is that the person you're looking for is not far from you. You'll definitely be able to find her." he said. "I should be getting home now. See you tomorrow!" He walked off, leaving me standing there by myself. I looked at the picture and sighed.

"What did he mean…?"

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 **I hope you liked that chapter! Leave a review, and see you soon!**

 **~Chinnie Ai**


	3. Azure

**I'm sorry I took so long! This is the last chapter, and I really hope you enjoyed this story. I haven't written in a long time so some parts can probably be done better. Enjoy!**

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The next day, I went to the agency to deliver the photos I had chosen and edited. They were all amazing photos so it was hard for me to choose. I was still thinking about what Kano had said yesterday. The girl I was looking for was close to me? Who could it be? What was he talking about?

I sighed and shook my head to clear away those thoughts. If she was truly close to me, then I would be able to find her. Definitely. If fate wanted me to meet her, then fate must want me to find her.

"Hiyori!" I said, walking up to her. "I have the pictures." She turned around and her eyes lit up with happiness and excitements.

"Yes!" she exclaimed. "That's amazing! Thank you so much. I can't express how much we thank you just with those words. Really, thank you very, very much." She bowed deeply.

"You don't need to thank me!" I said, panicking slightly. "I had lots of fun! So it's alright!" Hiyori smiled.

"Okay. Well, I'm glad you had fun." she said. "It's not easy to find a job that you truly enjoy." I laughed.

"Looks like the both of us were in luck." I said. Hiyori smiled.

"That's true." she said.

"If there's anything else you need, whether it be now or in the future, don't hesitate to ask me." I said. Hiyori nodded.

"Got it." she said. "Let me treat you to something. Is lemonade okay?" I nodded. We walked to the vending machine nearby and, after getting drinks, sat down on the bench beside it.

"Where's Momo?" I asked. I had noticed she wasn't at the agency when I was talking to Hiyori.

"She doesn't have any plans today, so she has a day off." said Hiyori. She looked at me and sighed. "I'm just warning you, but dating an idol is hard and tiring, you know. Although I'm not telling you to give up, I'm just telling you it's going to be tough if you keep those feelings, you know?" I blinked, trying to make sense of Hiyori's words, and then my face flushed red.

"Wha- Hiyori! I don't- I never said I- Wait, what?" I sputtered. I couldn't even get a complete sentence out; I was way too busy being embarrassed.

"What, so you don't like Momo?" asked Hiyori, looking confused. My face grew even redder.

"I-" I found that I was unable to deny.

"Well, if its you, I guess I don't have a problem with it. I mean, as long as Momo's happy, I'm happy. And you're not a horrible guy, so you have my approval!" said Hiyori. I thought about it.

"…I-I don't know… Do I like Momo?" I asked. Hiyori raised an eyebrow.

"You're asking me?" she said incredulously. "How would I know? Are you an elementary schooler or something? I mean, you were pretty jealous when Kano-san came, you know." She sighed.

"…For the longest time, I thought I was in love with the girl in the picture I took 10 years ago." I said.

"The girl in the picture that gave you your dream of becoming a photographer? Momo-chan told me about that." said Hiyori. "So? Who is this girl?" I sighed.

"That's the thing. I don't know who she is." I said. Seeing the look of confusion and disbelief on Hiyori's face, I continued. "She had her back turned towards me. When she heard me behind her, she ran away." Hiyori laughed.

"She probably thought you were a stalker or something." she said.

"You think so? Damn, that'd be the worst…" I said, sighing. "I just want to see her again and thank her. Kano said that she's close to me, but I have no idea where to start the search…" Hiyori thought for a while.

"You know what? Here's what you should do. Go back to the place you took that picture. Maybe you'll meet her. Your meeting was quite fateful, so maybe you're in luck." she said. I nodded slowly.

"Yeah… I guess that'd be worth a shot." I said. "Then I'll be off! See you, Hiyori!" She nodded.

"Good luck, Hibiya!" she said. I nodded, and left the agency. To my surprise, I still remembered the way to the mysterious garden. It was as if my brain saved this memory in preparation for this day. Taking a deep breath, I pushed open the gates and walked in.

The garden was still incredibly beautiful, and it was just as I remembered it. The flowers were still extremely beautiful, and I took a few photos, smiling nostalgically as I did. If I compared the photos I took 10 years ago and the ones I just took, I would definitely see so much improvement. I walked deeper into the garden, approaching the fountain. My eyes widened at the sight in front of me.

She was there.

There's no doubt about it. That's definitely her. That's definitely the girl I've been looking for. She was older now, obviously, as it had been 10 years since that day. She was dancing, too, just like she was before. Her long, orange hair was pinned back with a white ribbon, and she wore an orange top and a long lilac skirt, along with pointe shoes. Just like I did so 10 years ago, I took a picture of her. She didn't run away like last time when she heard the sound of my camera; instead, she turned around. My eyes widened, and I would have dropped my camera in shock.

"…Hibiya-kun?" she asked. "What are you doing here?"

Kano had told me the girl I was looking for was close to me. Why was I such an idiot? How did I never realize?

I've been looking for Momo Kisaragi all along.

"Momo…" I said.

"How did you find this place, anyways? Not many people know of it." said Momo. "That's why I practice dance here. If people come in all the time, then it'd be bad, because I would probably get chased down." She laughed.

"…Have you been here 10 years ago?" I asked finally. Momo thought for a while.

"10 years ago? So when I was 16? I'm pretty sure, yeah. That's the year I found this garden, I think, and the year I debuted, so I wanted somewhere hidden and quiet to practice." she said.

"…Did you have shoulder-length hair and usually tie one section of it to the side of your head?" I couldn't help but ask to make sure. Momo nodded.

"Yeah, I did. How did you know?" she asked, surprised.

"I knew it…" I said. "It was you all along." Unstoppable tears started to roll down my cheeks, and Momo started to panic.

"Hibiya-kun?!" she said. "W-Why are you crying? Did I say something wrong?" I shook my head.

"No, it's not that." I said. "Momo, do you remember how I found my dream?"

"You took a picture of a girl and that inspired you to become a photographer, right?" she asked. I nodded.

"I've always wanted to find her and thank her. If it wasn't for her, I wouldn't be where I am right now. And now I've found her." I said. Momo blinked.

"Where? Who is it?" she asked. I couldn't help but laugh. She really was dense, wasn't she?

"Momo Kisaragi, thank you for giving me my dream. Thank you very much." I said. Her eyes widened.

"…Me?" she asked. "For all that time, you've been looking for me…?" I nodded.

"10 years, in fact." I said.

"I didn't even know…" she said, laughing. "It's almost like fate! I mean, this is such a coincidence! I can hardly believe it!" I smiled.

"Yeah. I can hardly believe I fell in love with the same person all over again. It really is fate." I said. Momo's eyes widened, and she stared at me.

"W-What do you mean, Hibiya-kun?" she asked. I sighed.

"You know what I mean!" I said. "Momo Kisaragi! I love you! Don't make me say it twice! I know it's sudden and all, but I can't help it!" Momo stared at me, surprised, then laughed.

"It's not sudden for you at all, is it? After all, it's been 10 years." she said. She threw her arms around me suddenly, wrapping me in a huge embrace.

"I love you too, Hibiya."

* * *

 **I guess I'll see you sometime soon, then! :)**

 **~Chinnie Ai**


End file.
